5th October 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
The physical experience of going through a Council session feels rather like having your head banged against a wall. It’s nice when it stops, but otherwise not particularly enjoyable. So there was a sense of delirium in the air when we headed out of the doors at a reasonable time last Friday evening. Three weeks […]
3rd October 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
What will be different after this Human Rights Council? Does any of it matter? Isn’t it just diplomats fighting over words? These are questions I sometimes get asked. I can understand the despair at the sight of capable female Russian diplomats gutting a resolution upholding women’s reproductive rights, something we saw at this last session. […]
Read more on The Difference The UN Makes On Human Rights | Reply
30th September 2016 Chennai, India
A couple of weeks ago we hosted our first ever event at the Residence for the LGBTQ community in Chennai. It was a watershed event for us. It was – by diplomatic standards at least – daring, edgy and fun. It was the first time we’ve tried to engage with that community in a country […]
Read more on Lord Clive would be spinning in his grave | Reply
26th September 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
I’ve been having a spooky session. For the past fortnight people who left the Council many moons ago have been popping up all over the place as though they never left. Former colleagues do of course come back from time to time but it’s been happening so much recently I’m starting to wonder if I’m […]
23rd September 2016 UK, London
This week in New York, Burma reached another significant milestone, in what has already been a momentous year for the country. Among the throngs of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held a meeting to celebrate the conclusion of his partnership group on Burma – their work is complete. […]
Read more on Celebrating success with Aung San Suu Kyi, and looking to the future for Burma | Reply
21st September 2016 London, UK
In 2014, the UK hosted the Global Summit to end sexual violence in conflict, bringing together more than 120 countries, over 100 NGOs and international organisations and more than 900 experts and survivors. The Summit was a milestone in bringing the issue of sexual violence in conflict to international attention and encouraging governments around the […]
Read more on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict: the importance of challenging stigma | Reply
19th September 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
I’m afraid I have to begin on a very sad note as our friend and colleague Ebenezer Appreku, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Ghana, passed away just before the session. He was a wonderful man and a strong human rights advocate. I often heard him speak about how critical attention by the UN had helped […]
15th September 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Democracy is the best path to long term peace, stability and sustainable development. It doesn’t just mean elections, though they are important too. It’s about having a say in the decisions that affect us, independent institutions that function as they were intended to and rule of law that upholds our human rights and protects us […]
15th September 2016 London, UKSkopje, North Macedonia
Today, 15 September, is International Day of Democracy – celebrated each year by the UN and its members. Why celebrate a system of government? What’s so special about democracy? I think the answer is simple. Democracy is the only system of Government that puts ordinary people at its centre. It ensures the people have a […]
15th September 2016 London, UK
A year ago today, to mark International Day of Democracy, I launched the Magna Carta Partnership Initiative. This consisted of a series of small projects in selected parts of the world where we judged that UK expertise could reinvigorate and promote the development of democracy, and strengthen the rule of law. Through this support, we […]
Read more on International Day of Democracy 2016 | Reply (1)